Reckless Heart
by Underlord Backlash
Summary: Allright, finally got off my lazy college-arse and was inspired to write again. Terence seems to be adjusting to his new life, but things are getting gradually weirder and creepier. Fruits Basket fans should appreciate one of the new characters here. ^_^v
1. Reckless Heart Prologue

Reckless Heart

An Ahh! Megami-sama Fanfiction

By Underlord Backlash

Disclaimer: I do not own the AMS series. It was created by Kosuke Fujishima.

Prologue

Late one night in the maternity wing of a hospital, a phone call was made. It was intended to be merely a call from a new mother to her mother, but it reached someone else. "Hello! You've reached the Goddess Technical Help Line! We will be there in just a moment to grant your access request!" 'Klik.'

The woman did not know what that was about. Her greatest concern at the moment had been to talk to her mother about her beautiful baby boy, Terence. As she turned to the nightstand to grab a glass of water, she saw a young lady coming through the wall. The girl stepped onto the floor garbed in strange robes and with long flowing brown hair. The woman had thought this ghost-girl might be Death coming for her, but how could Death seem to radiate such warmth and kindness?

The girl displayed a bemused smile. "No Anna McCarron, I am not Death. I am the Goddess Belldandy. I am here to grant you a wish."

"A wish?" Anna said it aloud to herself, pondering it. She believed the girl when she said she was a Goddess, it simply felt right; but, a wish?

"Yes, a wish, Anna. I'm sorry if it confuses you, but I'm permitted to read your mind for the duration of this meeting. Now, whatever you wish, I will make it come true. Whether you wish to live forever, to be wealthy, or anything at all." She smiled at Anna, sending a feeling of warmth cascading over her.

Anna returned the smile, and gazed at her sleeping son in her arms. "I wish…. I wish my son could have someone just like you to take care of him, if he is ever left alone in the world."

Belldandy nodded and smiled. "Your wish is granted." Her eyes lit up with energy, and wind whirled about the room. Anna looked at Terence frantically, afraid he would wake up terrified; but he seemed, if anything, to be sleeping more blissfully than before. When the light and air faded, Belldandy was gone, and Anna fell peacefully into sleep.

By the following morning, Anna felt the whole thing had been a very pleasant dream.

***

Seventeen years later…

Belldandy suddenly vanished from the breakfast table. Her sisters and husband did not think much of it. It was a fairly typical thing for a Goddess. However, her return shocked them all. She was holding a seventeen-year-old boy, who was covered in blood, and crying hysterically.


	2. Reckless Heart Part 1

Reckless Heart

An Ahh! Megami-sama Fanfiction

By Underlord Backlash

Disclaimer: I do not own the AMS series. Kosuke Fujishima created it.

(Foreword for Part 1: Many ancient beliefs hold that Gods speak two distinct languages; one that is used for conversing with other Gods, and another that is understandable by any human. The human would hear this language in the language most easily understandable to them. Gods are naturally able to speak any human language. This is my basis for the English to Japanese language barrier between the characters.)

Part 1

Keiichi, Urd, and Skuld all stood up instantly. Where had Belldandy just gone; and where did she get this boy? Belldandy was holding the boy like a mother would, trying to calm him down. This had about zero success. The boy was hysterical, screaming in English, through which Urd and Skuld could make out something about "They're all dead!" Keiichi however, could not make out anything. Trusting their sister, the two other Goddesses ushered Keiichi out of the room.

Belldandy continued to hold the boy. He did not stop screaming and crying for more than an hour, at which he finally passed out from exhaustion. He had been crying so much, that his tears had washed his face clean of the blood. Skuld stepped into the room. "O-- Onee-chan… Who is he?"

Belldandy looked at her sister. "Seventeen years ago I granted a mother's wish. It was for someone just like me to watch over her son if he was ever left alone in the world. His family has just been killed." Belldandy's face was pained, since the nature of the wish had left her, quite literally, feeling the boy's pain. She touched a hand to his forehead, and light washed over his skin and clothes like liquid. The blood disappeared from him. "Have Urd… no, better make that have Keiichi, get the guest room ready. The boy needs to be let sleep."

"Sure thing Onee-chan." Skuld turned to leave but glanced around before she did. "Ano…what's his name?"

Belldandy thought for a moment. "His name is Terence. Terence McCarron."

***

Two hours later, Terence woke up. He looked around. This was definitely not where he had been when everyone died. He froze. Now that he had calmed down, the full horror of what had happened hit him.

He had been at his family reunion. Everyone had been so happy, and his greatest worry was what cousin to give a piggyback ride to next. Then the door to the rest of the hotel burst open. Some madman rushed in and started firing everywhere. He saw everyone else dying, even as he tried to get the little kids to safety. They were gunned down from behind, yet… the bullets never touched him. Every one of them swerved when it got close, as though it was going crazy. He had felt his four-year-old cousin die in his arms, and had seen the others crumple like paper dolls around him. The last two things he saw before being whisked off by something were the madman shooting his mother, then himself. All he remembered after that had been someone holding him, and his crying.

He spoke in a whisper. "How in God's name am I alive?" He heard voices outside the room. He got up and slid the door open, peering carefully down the hall. The voices were coming from down a flight of stairs. He creeped down them, and looked into the room. There were four people sitting around a table. Three of them were the most beautiful women he had ever seen. The oldest looking was tanned with platinum blonde hair, and had an almost predatory aura around her. Terence did not like her at all. The middle one seemed to emit all things warm, happy, and otherwise nice. He felt he knew her from a long time ago. The third looked about his age in appearance. Her figure was flawless, like the other two. She appeared to have a childish disposition, very playful, but her eyes…they revealed a genius unlike any he had seen before. The man sitting at the table seemed normal, if a bit short for the age he seemed to be. For the sake of non-confusion, he mentally labeled them each as Hunter, Big Sister, Slyph, and Shrimp, respectively. He listened intently to what they were saying.

Big Sister seemed to be undergoing a light interrogation from Hunter and Slyph. Shrimp was apparently just listening to what was going on. "So how long is he going to stay with us?" asked Slyph to Big Sister.

"As long as he needs to, " replied Big Sister. "He has no family anymore, and he needs to at least complete high school and college." At this long-term implication, Shrimp seemed to object. 'Seem' because he was not speaking in a language that Terence could understand. The woman seemed to understand clearly enough, though. She put on a smile like the one Terence's ex-girlfriend always used to get him to agree to something. Terence saw that the smile had the same affect on Shrimp, since he seemed to consent to the idea with a limp nod.

'Well, they can stop worrying about that, no way I'm staying here. I need to get home.' He turned to get back upstairs and maybe out through a window. He glanced at his clothes and hands. He could've sworn he had been covered in blood last he saw anything. He was so surprised that he forgot to stay quiet. "What the?" His eyes bulged and he clamped his hands over his mouth. Too late.

The Goddesses and Keiichi all looked in the direction of the noise. The boy had woken up. Urd floated over to the boy, lying level in the air with his head. She tapped him on the shoulder. "Well, are you going to turn around and let us see what you look like cleaned up?" She placed a finger on his neck and ran it upwards, flicking his ponytail.

Terence suddenly found himself covered in goose bumps. With his head shaking, he turned around to face the voice. The one he had called Hunter was floating in midair. Terence froze. The silence and stillness lasted about a minute. Hunter blinked, Terence screamed. "What the hell?!" He attempted to scramble up the stairs, but failed to notice that he was currently facing half each way. He tripped and rolled down the stairs. He hit the floor...hard. He attempted to scramble to his feet, but Hunter stepped on his ponytail, pinning it to the floor, and keeping him where he was. Since it was the only option left open to him, he started screaming again. "Letmego!Letmego!Letmego!"

Keiichi turned to Belldandy. "Is there someway you can make him speak Japanese?"

Belldandy thought for a moment, "Well…there is a universal language and understanding spell; but the way it's cast…" She started to blush. She looked at Urd. "Urd, would you?"

Urd raised one eyebrow and gave her usual alluring/evil smile. "No problem sis, he's pretty cute anyway." She picked up Terence and blew softly into his ear, causing him to turn beet red. She then kissed him on the lips. "Bless ears and tongue with understanding and knowledge." She then dropped him rather ungracefully. "Done." Terence probably would have protested to being dropped, if he could've stopped blushing and babbling like an idiot.

Terence was furious on the inside. Hunter, or Urd as Big Sister had called her, had made him fall down the stairs, pinned him to the floor, humiliated him, then just dropped him like a bad habit. He finally shook off the blushing and curled up his face into his nastiest scowl and directed it at Urd, "Back off witch." He promptly flipped her the bird. He was not what one would call gracious for his new ability with languages.

Urd would have been all too glad to blast Terence into tiny pieces, but since Belldandy was supposed to be taking care of him, she would probably be angry about that. So, she took a page out of Skuld's book, and branded 'BRAT' across his face. To her disappointment, he looked as though he couldn't care less. Having everyone in your family killed before your eyes can have that affect on a person. "Is this supposed to bother me? You're going to have to do better than that to annoy a dead man."

Belldandy's expression turned to concern, "What do you mean 'dead'?" She was certain the boy was alive, not a ghost or anything like that.

Terence looked as though it couldn't be more obvious. "My whole family's dead, what have I got left to live for?" He looked at them all. "Could any of you do me a favor and just kill me?"

Everyone was somewhat taken aback by Terence. Why in God's name would he want to die? Skuld was looking at him like he had something weird crawling on him, which, upon putting on her glasses, she noticed he actually did. It was a bug. She pulled out her hammer, plucked the bug off, and squashed it. "Onee-chan, I think that bug was the reason Terence survived."

Belldandy's eyes widened slightly, "What do you mean?"

Skuld sat back down and sighed, "Well, when you played back his memory, you said that he saw the bullets swerving away from him, right?" Belldandy nodded and Skuld continued. "Well, the glitch caused by that particular bug was repelling stuff away from it. So technically, Terence's survival was an accident."

Terence sat up and snorted. "I don't know what kind of 'bugs' you're talking about or anything, but if it was an accident that I survived, go ahead and finish me off. Or just give me a knife or a gun and I'll do it myself." He started tapping his foot, wondering what was taking any of them so long. After about twenty seconds his patience was exhausted and he stood up. "Che, forget this. I've got some stuff to take care of at home before I die anyway. Excuse me, but am I still in Westchester?"

Urd, Skuld, and Keiichi all responded in one voice. "Westchester?" They all turned to Belldandy.

Belldandy gave her usual eyes-lit-up-along-with-a-smile expression. "That's where he's from, in America." 

The phone rang and Belldandy picked it up. "Hello, this is Belldandy speaking. May I ask who's calling, please?" She paused as her eyes widened slightly, "Oh, good morning almighty one. Is there a problem?………Mmhmm……..I understand……of course almighty one. Good day." She hung up the phone and turned to the others. "That was the almighty, he said Terence has to stay with us until he finishes high school, and most likely college as well." She looked at him more directly. "All your stuff from your old room will arrive here in about an hour; all your family's assets are being transferred to your bank account, which will then be transferred to a local account; and a paper declaring me your legal guardian should also arrive in the mail soon. A lot of work for granting one wish, don't you think?"

Terence blinked. Had…Belldandy was it?…just said granting a wish? What in the world was she talking about, and where was he? "Umm, whoever said they're sending my stuff here, you better just call them back and tell them to forget it. I'm going home--" He cut off abruptly. Had she said 'in America'? Where was he? "Err, excuse me, but, what country am I in?"

The Goddesses and Keiichi answered in one voice. "Japan."

Terence's eyes shot open. "Japan? How the hell did I get here?" He rubbed his arms and neck, checking to see if he had been drugged or something, a needle would have left a mark. He knew he must have passed out, but there was no way he could have slept for what would have to have been a fifteen hour flight. It had to be a lie. "No possible way is that true."

Belldandy tilted her head. "Goddesses are incapable of lying. Well, they're supposed to be." She glanced at Urd, who turned her head and snorted. "You're here because just after you were born, I granted a wish of your mother's that someone just like me would take care of you if you were ever left alone in the world. Since God has decreed that no two beings be exactly alike, it means I have to take care of you. My sisters and I are Goddesses. I am Belldandy, this is my older sister Urd, my younger sister Skuld, and my husband, Keiichi Morisato. You might as well start to think of us as family, since you have to stay with us."

"No offense ma'am, but that has no chance in hell of happening. I am no one's charity case. I appreciate the offer and everything, but no thanks. If you really want to help me, just tell whoever was on the phone to forget everything except transferring my family's accounts to mine. I'm not staying here." He breathed out heavily, and started for the door, muttering to himself, "I need some air." However, upon sliding open the front door, he walked right into a bookcase, one that appeared identical to the one in his room at home. In fact, just behind the bookcase, was what looked like the entire contents of his room, including his entire collection of manga and anime. His jaw dropped and he sputtered. "This is… not possible." His eye twitched violently.

Belldandy noticed the pile of furniture outside the door. "Oh my, the delivery was quicker than they said it would be."

All this was too much for Terence to deal with at the time. He dealt with the overabundant weirdness the best way he could think of. He fainted. The last thing he heard was Belldandy's concerned voice. "Oh dear, we'd better put him back in bed."


	3. Reckless Heart Part 2

Reckless Heart

Reckless Heart

An Ahh! Megami-sama Fanfiction

By Underlord Backlash

Disclaimer:I do not own the AMS series.Kosuke Fujishima created it.

Note for Part 2:As of this point on, the hell with it, this is an almost verbatim SI fic.

Part 2

"YEEEEE-IIIIIIIIIGH!!"One of Terence's patented nerve-wrenching screams tore through the house.

"Again?" Skuld sighed and set down her latest creation as she left her lab for Terence's room.She found him on the floor, a twitching, and slightly singed mess.Mini-Banpei was marching diligently across the doorway to "Terence's Sanctuary."She sighed."Again?Isn't getting fried twice in as many days for trying to run away enough?"

Terence snorted and glared at Mini-Banpei."First chance I get I'm turning that glorified wind-up toy into a can opener."He looked up at Skuld."I wasn't trying to run away; I was just trying to leave my room to use the toilet without being assaulted by an action figure with delusions of grandeur."He raised an eyebrow at Skuld as he stood up.

"Sorry.Go ahead, Terence."Skuld pulled out a remote and switched off Mini-Banpei.

Terence stepped over it on the way out, although he was severely tempted to squash his 'prison guard', as he called it, flat on the way.

As Terence stalked off towards the bathroom, Skuld took a look around 'Terence's Sanctuary.' (Author's Note: In the tradition of Keiichi Studios, Skuld Labs, and Castle Urd.)"Hmm, at least he's settled in after two weeks of trying to run away.Maybe in another week or two he'll be ready to start school again."Her eyes roamed around the room, flitting from object to object.The DBGT bedspread, the Vash the Stampede mini-bust on his nightstand, the 'Body-Glove' wall scroll of Ranma-chan, the Gundam kits on his dresser, the Monev the Gale figure (still in the package) on the wall, the bookcase of manga, anime videos and DVD's that went from floor to ceiling and took up a quarter of a wall; they were all signs that under normal circumstances, he would have been thrilled to be living in Tokyo.Of course, these were hardly normal circumstances.She noticed that his computer was still on, and took a closer look at what he had been working on."Gundanium Underpants?What kind of immature person would be amused by this?"

"Close to two hundred immature people actually."

Skuld squeaked as she spun around and ran straight into Terence, sending them both to the floor, Terence's head slamming into it."Owwwwch.Do you always pry into other people's work, or am I a special case?Trying to analyze it for signs of pre-homicidal depression?"He stood up, brushed himself off, then took Skuld's hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Biiii-da!" Skuld pulled her cheeks out and blew a raspberry at Terence."I was just curious is all.What's it to you?"

Terence looked like he had a retort ready, but then his face dropped and he sighed."Nothing, nothing at all.Nothing matters anymore."He sat down and started typing again, not even concerned about whether or not Skuld left.

Skuld's expression became a little concerned._'Aww, he's getting all moody again.'_She glanced around the room and then noticed a picture left out on his bed.She picked it up and saw that it was Terence with a boy who must have been his little brother, judging by the resemblance, on his shoulders, giving a 'V' sign to the camera.They both had on grins from ear to ear.She looked over at Terence, who had his back to her._'You must have really loved being a big brother.'_She cleared her throat and spoke to him."I think I liked you better when you kept trying to run away.At least you weren't boring then."

"Buzz off, would you?"

"Hey, how'd you like to go into town for some ice cream?Getting some air once in a while would probably do you some good."

"Why should I even bother?"

"JUST SHUT UP AND GO, STUPID!"Urd's face appeared on the computer screen and yelled at Terence.

"Kyaaaaah!"Terence fell backwards in his chair and toppled to the floor, hitting his head again.He jumped up and grabbed the monitor."Get out of my computer, you stupid witch!"

"Who're you calling a witch, you worthless brat?!"Urd screamed back at him.

"Wrinkled old cow!"

"Waste of flesh and hair!"

"Lousy bitch!"

"Little bastard!"

"Worthless slut!"

"THAT DOES IT!"The screen suddenly turned bright white, and then something could be heard popping inside of it, followed by an acrid smell and a column of smoke rising out of the monitor's vents.

Terence scowled and breathed out sharply, flapping his lips."Well, now I have to go into town to buy a new monitor anyway."

Skuld grimaced."Umm, you're not going to tell Belldandy-oneechan about this, are you?"

"What good would that do?I don't need any help to deal with that bleached bimbo.C'mon, let's go."He grabbed his wallet and jacket and headed outside.

***

Elsewhere, in a dark room on the highest floor of a tower somewhere in Tokyo, Terence's current state of health was being commented on.The speaker was most displeased by it."This is very unfortunate.You failed in your mission."The speaker reclined in a chair behind his desk.The windows were sealed and the room was in total darkness, save for a ceiling light above the desk, and one over the center of the room.The one in the center shone down on a man in blue jeans and a leather jacket.His appearance was unruly, and he was sweating profusely.He was kneeling before the man at the desk.

"Please, forgive me Master.The bug prevented a quick elimination of the boy, and my host somehow managed to resist enough to end his own life.He had somehow become aware of his actions.I would have attended to the boy myself at that point, but the Goddess appeared and took him away."The man trembled, aware that his fate rested in the decision of his master; and his master was renowned for passing harsh judgment.

"You….were beaten….by a _human's_ will?A worthless, normal human; one that you picked up off the street to serve you.You are a disgrace."The man stood up, now clearly visible in the light.His icy blue eyes and shimmering blonde hair seemed to pierce the darkness.Their significant appearance, combined with his black suit and gloves, gave the illusion of him being nothing but a head floating in mid-air.He had intended to appear thus; no matter what form he took, it was always one that implied a position of power, and filled those who saw it with fear."You know the penalty for failure…"

The man looked up, panic-stricken."Master, I have served you long, faithfully, and wisely!"

"Yes, which was the reason I rewarded you with an assignment that would have garnered you much praise from Our Father Below… Had you completed it successfully that is; but your failure erases all merit you have ever had.Your usefulness to me has ended Kellian…"

"MASTER! PLEASE, I BEG OF YOU!"Kellian stood up; sweat droplets flying off his brow.

"Enough… Let whoever has taken over my former position decide your punishment."He snapped his fingers, and his eyes glowed red.Energy rushed up from underneath Kellian and he vanished, screaming in pain as he did so.By the time his sweat hit the floor, there was no trace of him.

"Not to criticize you, Azrael, but that's what you get for sending a scout on an assignment that should have been given to an assassin."A small flame appeared in the room, illuminating a face framed by silver hair, with green eyes that glowed in rhythm with the flame that came from the woman's index finger."I expect Olivier will have Kellian reduced to a side dish for the next Arch-Daemons' feast.No great delicacy there, although I imagine Headmaster Screwtape will think it complements the wine of Hitler's blood."The woman chuckled to herself.

Azrael sat back down, and his eyes focused on his visitor."Olivier?Is that who they have passing judgment in my absence?He always had all three of his eyes on the job.But tell me Darkihm, what brings one of the Kingdom's finest torturers to Earth?"

Darkihm walked towards Azrael's desk, shrugging as she did so."Although I haven't been told all the details, in a nutshell, I'm here to assist in the hunt for the boy.I also…reprimanded Mara and," she laughed, "let's just I say I sent her to her room."

Azrael's eyes narrowed."Damned bitch was nothing but a source of amusement for the Master anyway; and on whose authority have you come to assist me?"

Darkihm smiled."His."Noting the shock that Azrael could not keep from his face, she sat on his desk and placed a hand on his shoulder."Not to worry, the Master's not displeased with your progress.You've done splendidly, bringing the humans ever closer to the end of their pathetic civilization, one corporate takeover at a time.I'm just here since the situation with the boy has recently improved in the enemy's favor.The boy is now in the protection of two Goddesses First Class."

"Actually, one of them is a Second Class, Limited."

"Yes, but do you believe that the Enemy will hesitate to reinstate her to full power if necessary to protect the boy?"

Azrael leaned back, brought his fingertips together, and then ground his teeth slightly.

Darkihm swung her legs up onto the desk, pulled them up to her chest, and then lightly placed a finger under Azrael's chin."Relax, my dear Azrael.There is a bit of hope for the situation.According to my sources, the boy is currently entertaining thoughts of suicide.I assume you remember what the results of that would be…"She moved closer to Azrael's face.

Azrael smiled, and then grabbed Darkihm's hand. He squeezed it enough the she winced and pulled back a bit."Thank you for the information Darkihm.But I'm not one of your little toys, and I never will be.If you need some enjoyment, I suggest you go find your friend Morrigan; she comes to this plane every once in a while."He took his other hand and shoved her off the desk, scattering a few papers in the process.

Darkihm hit the floor, and rubbed her sore hand.She looked up at Azrael and smiled."Well, you shouldn't choose such a… delectable human form, then.Poor Azrael, all work and no play has really made you a dull boy.Well, I've got to be going, but call me if you need me… for anything.Ciao."She faded into the shadows.

As Darkihm left, Azrael waited a moment, then spun his chair around to face the window, and then pressed a button on the armrest.The window lost its opacity and became clear.The sun shone down brightly on Tokyo.He stood up and walked over to the window.He stared out upon the city for a moment."You're out there somewhere, and I'm going to find you.Then the final battle for this miserable world can begin."His eyes flashed red again.

***

Terence looked around.He'd felt something weird just a second ago.Now something was hurting his head.He raised a hand to it as his expression turned to confusion.

Skuld looked away from her waffle-cone to Terence."What's the matter?Eat too fast?"

Terence dropped his hand and shrugged."Yeah, must be.Probably from trying to keep up with the rate you eat at."He laughed and stuffed the remainder of his cone into his mouth.

"Hey, was that an insult?" She scowled.

He stood up and wiped his face with a napkin."Maybe."He tossed the napkin, and it bounce off of Skuld's head into a garbage can."Well, let's go.I still need to get a new monitor.

Skuld ground her teeth together."Has anyone ever told you you're annoying?"She almost stomped past him.

Terence tried to look like he was thinking hard."Let's see…" He began counting on his fingers, "Your sister, my mom, my brother, my sister, my dad… Pretty much everyone who's ever met me.Ah well, can't please everyone in life."

"So you settle for just pleasing yourself?"Skuld raised her eyebrows.

"Well, the way _you _say it makes it sound bad."He put his hands behind his head and kept walking.


	4. Reckless Heart Part 3

Reckless Heart

An Ahh! Megami-sama Fanfiction

By Underlord Backlash

Disclaimer:  I do not own the AMS series.  Kosuke Fujishima created it.

Part 3

            It was a beautiful day to live on Earth, Belldandy thought to herself.  The weather was perfect and things were going very well lately.  Terence and Urd had finally become friends.  Well, in Belldandy's view they had become friends; the rest of the world could see that they were only pretending to tolerate each other for her sake.  Keiichi and Terence got along wonderfully, with Keiichi usually dropping Terence and Skuld off at school in the morning since the boy started going back.  All in all, Terence had become another member of their family.  The only minor difficulty was that his appetite rivaled Otaki and Tamiya's combined.  Belldandy laughed to herself as she mused inwardly that she had enjoyed trying all the American recipes Terence liked.  A knock at the front door caught her attention.  She set down the teacup she had been washing, stood up, and then headed to the door.

            She slid the door open.  "Hello?"  As she saw who was there, she gasped, and her face became a shade paler. "You... Why are you here?  Unless...."

            The person she was facing shook their head.  "I have to ask you to trust me, and not ask any questions.  I'm here for something important.  Is anyone else here?"

            Belldandy swallowed hard, forcing herself to speak.  "Just myself and Urd.  Keiichi is at work, and Skuld and Terence are at school."

            The person nodded.  "All right, that will do fine; please bring Urd here right away.  I don't have too much time before I'll be detected.  I'm on a very important assignment and there are dangerous forces at work against it.  Go."

            Belldandy nodded and rushed off through the house to Urd's room. She returned a minute later, pulling Urd by her arm.  Urd was annoyed.  "What is it?  What's got you so spooked?"  She saw who was waiting in the doorway, and went through the same reaction as her sister.  "You...."

            The visitor stepped forward.  "Don't be afraid, I'm just here to take some precautions."  They abruptly brought their arms up in front of them and bursts of light went from their hands to the Goddess marks on Urd and Belldandy's foreheads.  The marks glowed white, then black, then returned to their normal colors.  The person turned and began to walk away from the temple, as the two Goddesses walked back to what they were doing before, their memories of the encounter sealed.  The stranger thought to themself as they walked away.  _I hate doing something this low, but I have to be prepared for the worst, and those two were liabilities waiting to happen.  They'd get in the way when it's time for his decision.  I just hope I don't have to make it for him._

***

            "OWW!!"  Terence cried out as his forehead hit the underside of the car he was working underneath.  He continued in English, "Miserable son of a b--!"

            Skuld 'tsked', cutting him off as she placed her foot on the dollie he was lying on and pushed him out from under the car.  "Watch it, oneesama wouldn't like to hear about you talking like that, even if the others can't understand you."  She noted the fresh bruise on his forehead, made more noticeable by the grease stain that accompanied it.  "Ouch, that looks like it hurts."  She knelt down as he sat up, then put her hand gently on the bruise.  "You gonna be okay?"

            Terence grimaced, and winced a bit as Skuld touched his forehead.  "I've had worse." He lowered his voice and whispered to her.  "This shot beats dealing with that wind-up security guard of yours anyday."

            Skuld became mildly angry.  "Why you..."

            There was an abrupt slamming of hands onto the hood of the car they were working on.  "TERENCE!  SKULD!  Are you two flirting in the middle of your assignment?!"  Their auto-shop teacher, Tamiya glared down at them from the other side of the car.

            Terence and Skuld both jumped up and bowed apologetically to their teacher.  "We're sorry, Tamiya-sensei!"

            His words processed in Terence's mind a moment before Skuld's.  "Flirting?!  With her?"  He pointed at Skuld.  "You've gotta be kidding me!"

            A pair of hands clapped down on Terence's shoulders.  "Hey Tam-chan, you shouldn't tease the kid about it.  After all, already living under the same roof as his girlfriend, he's probably embarrassed."  The second of their dual instructors, Otaki, winked from behind his sunglasses at the two kids.

            Skuld was slack-jawed and speechless, as a faint shade of red graced Terence's face.   "She is NOT my girlfriend, sensei!"  He and Skuld suddenly found themselves with their teachers towering over them on either side.

            "They always show up at school together in the morning...." Tamiya commented in a singsong voice.

            "That's because Keiichi drops us both off here!" Skuld pointed out angrily, blushing slightly.

            Otaki piped up as well.  "And they always walk to class together..."

            Terence fumed.  "That's because Belldandy-san asked for us to have the same schedule!"

            The two teachers faced each other and spoke together.  "And they're ALWAYS working with one another in this class..."

            Both Skuld and Terence yelled.  "THAT'S BECAUSE YOU TWO PARTNERED US TOGETHER FOR THE WORK GROUPS!!"  After they finished yelling, they realized the entire class was watching their argument.  The few other girls in the class were giggling to each other and chatting back and forth, while the boys were making various cheers for Terence and catcalls to Skuld.

            One boy a few inches taller than Terence with black hair and green eyes walked over to the four of them.  He faced Tamiya and Otaki.  "Sensei-tachi, Terence just hit his head and obviously isn't thinking clearly.  I'll take him to the nurse to get an ice-pack."  He and the adults laughed briefly at Terence's expense before sending the two of them off.  Skuld blew a raspberry at the boy as he left.

            "Biiiiii-da!"  _Honestly, boys are so immature, no matter how old they are.  Me and Terence going out,  yeah right..._  She got under the car and picked up where Terence had left off.  As she was working, she thought to herself.  _Still, Urd was right, he is pretty cute._  Surprised by her own thoughts, the wrench she was using fell out of her hand, almost sending her to join Terence and his friend Kyosuke at the nurse's office.

***

            Kyosuke put his good friend in a headlock and gave him a noogie.  "Terry-kun you dog, you just keep leading her on don'cha?"  He grinned smugly.

            Terence pushed Kyosuke off and glared at him.  "Would you stop that?! You're as bad as the sensei-tachi for crying out loud."  He snorted indignantly, as he blushed slightly.

            Kyosuke's eyes widened and he smiled triumphantly.  "I KNEW it!  You DO like her, don't you?"

            Terence was getting annoyed.  "I said drop it."

            Kyosuke's shrugged and laughed to himself.  "Terry-kun, you may be a good student, and a mechanical genius, but when it comes to girls....well, there's no other way to say it... You're as dumb as a post!"

            Terence grumbled and kept a retort to himself as they rounded a corner.  "Kyo, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one of these days, and I just hope I'm around to see it.  You know--" Terence cut off as he noticed something strange; about twelve meters down the hall, a girl with white hair and yellow eyes was staring at him.  It wasn't just that she was looking in his direction; she was definitely looking at him.  And the look she was giving him was not what one would call friendly.  Kyosuke caught the look as well.

            He brought his hand up to his chin and thought for a moment, smirking.  "Hmm, not bad.  A little creepy, maybe, but you what they say about quiet girls..."

            Terence rolled his eyes, all too glad to break eye contact with the girl.  "Oh yeah, I forgot.  Aside from your mouth, that one track mind of yours is gonna get you in trouble too."  Terence looked at the girl, who had not so much as blinked, and shuddered briefly before heading into the nurse's office. 

            Kyosuke shrugged.  "Ah well, if I'm so doomed according to you, I might as well deserve it."

            A smirk crossed Terence's face as he signed in and sat down to wait his turn.  "Doomed is right."  His face became playfully evil.  "Especially if I tell Rika about that wandering eye of yours..." Terence, as well as most of the school, was fully aware of how thoroughly wrapped around her finger Kyosuke's girlfriend had him, and usually used it as revenge when Kyosuke teased him about Skuld.

            Right on cue, Kyosuke blushed and almost jumped.  "It's worth the cutlet sandwich from my lunch if you keep that to yourself."

            Terence laughed and extended his hand.  "Deal, Skuld and I'll meet you and Rika at the usual place for lunch."  His friend nodded as he left.

***

            "Lecher!" Down came a bento box on Kyosuke's head. Rika was NOT a happy camper at lunch. Terence sat against the tree in the lunch area, quietly enjoying a rice-ball, as his best friend was assaulted by said friend's girlfriend. Skuld appeared just as neutral, but secretly cheered Rika on.

            Kyosuke meagerly raised his hands in protest. "Rika-chan! It's a misunderstanding! I didn't..." Down came the bento box again, and Kyosuke found a set of chopsticks leveled in front of his eyes.  "G-gomen... Rika-chan..."  
  
            Rika glared into the eyes of her boyfriend. "Ky-o-suke-kuuun... Mami-chan told me she saw you looking at a new transfer student today...." She traced one of the chopsticks down along Kyosuke's throat. "Is it TRUE?"  
  
            Kyosuke muttered under his breath to Terence. "I should have kept the sandwich anyway...." He then turned back to Rika, sweatdropping. "Now now Rika-chan, I was just making a joke to Terry-chan, ne, Terry-chan?" He turned to his friend by the tree.  
  


            Recognizing Kyosuke's signal for "Help me, I'm going to die," Terence nodded and smiled at Rika. "That's right Rika-chan, I'd just gotten hurt in auto-shop and Kyo-kun was just trying to cheer me up. He's so sweet and considerate you know..." He counted down from three mentally, as he chewed on his squid.

            Rika smiled serenely. "Ohhhh... well that's all right then." She lowered the chopsticks, opened the bento box, and plucked out a piece of apple with the chopsticks. "Kyo-kun... 'aaahhhh'" She held the apple up to Kyosuke's mouth.

"Aaahhhhh...." Kyosuke meekly accepted the apple, chewing very slowly and thoroughly, being sure to cement his smile in place. He turned to Terence, his squinted eyes screaming "kill me now."

            Terence smiled inwardly, and turned to Skuld, trying to change the subject for Kyosuke's sake. "Sorry about being such a ditz earlier and getting myself hurt, you manage to finish up the work on the engine block?"

            Skuld nodded back, finishing the last of her bento lunch. "Yeah, we should have it finished tomorrow. And the class project SHOULD be ready in a week..." She glared at Kyosuke, who was apparently choking on the rice ball he was being force-fed. "IF someone and his partner finish up the transmission."  
  
            Recovering from his choking, and politely fending off Rika's next offering, Kyosuke blew a raspberry at Skuld. "Gimme a break. When the sensei-tachi crashed that junker last year, they might as well have wrapped the transmission components around a lamp post."

            Terence smiled. "Chances are.... they did." He laughed lightly, closing his bento box and leaning back against the tree. He raised his hand and looked up at the clouds through his fingers. He spoke quietly in English. "Someday I'll fly away from everything... back to my family."

            Kyosuke rolled his eyes and snorted, flicking a piece of rice at Terence. "Terry-kun, don't think you're impressing anyone with that bad gothic poetry you tend to spout. I can make out some of it, and you need to move on, and stop trying to be dramatically quietly suicidal. Che, if I wanted angst while I eat, I would have stayed home today to watch X."

            Terence's face remained impassive, as Rika laughed and passionately sang the praises of "Kyo-kun's" comic brilliance, so they all ended up missing the soft look on Skuld's face as she listened to Terence. She thought quietly to herself. //Maybe Belldandy-oneesama should talk to him again. Something's got him sinking into this again.//

            Despite what anyone else might have thought, Terence's attentions were far from being on the clouds. He had raised his hand to block the sun's glare, so he could see who it was watching him and his friends from the school roof. All he caught before the figure turned back were long locks of snow-white hair being tossed over a shoulder covered by a silver jacket.  //What do you want?// He mused quietly to himself.

            To his horror, he heard a voice answer back. //An end.//


End file.
